This book is about as extreme as you could get for an antistandardized testing book, but kt may be whats needed. Politicians and businesspeople, determined to get tough with students and teachers, have increased the pressure to raise standardized test scores. I am not talking about the kind of tests invented by individual teachers for their classes but about those prepared by giant companies and taken by. As optout movements led by parents, students, and teachers now gather momentum across both the united states and canada, kempfs book offers a handbook for resistance and change. According to stanford university professor of education linda darlinghammond, the tests we use, particularly the state standardized tests, are extremely narrow. Vallas, the chief executive officer of the chicago. Standardized testing shouldnt be viewed as a value judgement on students but as an. Contradictions of school reform tackles headon the issue of race in particular, the myth that testbased reform is a way to institute higher standards for students of color. Books for standardized test preparation scholastic.
And despite my respect for standardized testing and my belief that much of the criticism it receives is misplaced, i recently made the decision to institute a test. The gathering resistance to standardized tests by the. The beauty of mcneils book is that she combines a solid theoretical grounding with a closeup of what actually happened in houston texas schools. Additional assistance was provided by several private sector attorneys who are expert in both testing policy and federal civil rights law.
Raising the scores, ruining the schools popular online. The case against standardized testing by alfie kohn, september 1, 2000, heinemann edition, paperback in english 1 edition. The case against standardized testing september 1, 2000. The scandal of standardized tests teachers college press. Heinemann, 2000 our students are tested to an extent that is unprecedented in american history and unparalleled anywhere in the world. Here we are in the midst of sweeping change in education where our policy makers have decided that in order to make our educational institutions better places for learning they would make standardized tests even more important. Next, the manager assigns test case groups test cases. An inconvenient testing truth we must be realistic about the limitations of standardized tests. There are two main arguments against using standardized tests to guarantee that students reach at least a basic level of academic competency. The scandal of standardized tests sheds significant light on key problems such as.
I need books on the pros and cons of standardized testing. This book is about as extreme as you could get for an anti standardized testing book, but kt may be whats needed. Standardized test preparation occurs throughout the school year. This book gives readers a balanced look at the issue of standardized testing in schools and its surrounding arguments. If general readers recognize kohns name, its thanks to his campaign against standardized testing the case against standardized testing. Raising the scores, ruining the schools from the worlds largest community of readers.
Of course, on the late, late show no one ever insists that the monster is really doing us a favor by making its victims. I think this is mainly because of the logical and meaningful way the editor chose to organize the information. Teachers unions fight standardized testing, and find diverse allies protesters at the capitol criticize gov. Are the tests stronger proxies for race and family income today than they were 20 years ago. The pedagogy of standardized testing the radical impacts. Kohn, alfie drawing from the latest research, this book explains how little standardized test results really say and how harmful a testdriven curriculum can be.
Click download or read online button to get the case against standardized testing book now. First, a comprehensive test plan is created by developers and qa. Raising the scores, ruining the schools, read by alfie kohn. The case against standardized testing raising the scores, ruining the schools portsmouth, nh. The supreme court heard oral arguments on the michigan cases on april 1.
There is, perhaps, no issue more visible among current education reforms than standardized testing. Standardized testing is used as a method of comparison among upperclassmen across the nation to assess the individual, school, district, state, and nationally. The case against standardized testing book alfie kohn. The use of test cases in the testing cycle is fundamental. Anya kamenetz the test reads like a closing argument of a skilled prosecutor in a criminal trial. Heres why we dont need standardized tests education week. The purpose of standardized testing is to provide universities and colleges with a quantifiable and unified method of evaluation of prospective students who have graduated from different schools with different academic standards. Raising the scores, ruining the schools alfie kohn, lois bridges on. Fundamentally, this case is about the core value of equal educational opportunity mandated by brown v board of education. This site is like a library, use search box in the widget to get ebook that you want. Educational professionals will recall kohns insights.
Testing cycle the testing cycle consists of several stages, each of which is described in the numbered list below. Annotated bibliography inequality standardized tests. Alfie kohn was recently described by time magazine as perhaps the countrys most outspoken critic of educations fixation on grades and test scores. Furthermore, arguments like murrays assume that standardized tests are good proxies for student learning, which oftentimes is not the case. This update to sat wars provides new evidence in the case against standardized college entry tests, including the experiences of testoptional colleges. Thus, this definition of standardized testing is actually a clear argument against this form of measurement. Defending standardized testing, 2005 online research. The final section demonstrates how teachers, parents, and students can turn their frustration into action and successfully turn back the testing juggernaut in order to create classrooms that focus on learning. I use many of the following teaching resources to help familiarize my students with the types of questions they may encounter on a standardized test. In case i am being too subtle here, let me state clearly that i think standardized testing is a very bad thing, and the more familiar you become with it, the more appalled you are likely to be. List of books and articles about standardized testing. Standardized testing unmasking a threat to democracy graduate student michael ernest sweet. So its no surprise that activists of color have played major roles in advancing some of the most prominent struggles against standardized testing. Find books like the case against standardized testing.
Seattle high schools teachers toss districts test the teachers say the test, which evaluates their performance as well as the students, is a waste of time. Any brief 66 pages of prose plus another 40 in footnotes and sources entry that attempts to argue against the main aspects of standardized testing will involve some generalities and simplifications. Standardized testing is a testing method ensuring consistent conditions, scoring rules and interpretation of results. Our students are tested to an extent that is unprecedented in american history and unparalleled anywhere in the world.
Standardized testing in schools familiarizes readers with the no child left behind act, the history of testing in schools, standards and scoring, test writing, and the effects of testing on education as a whole. Defending standardized testing is an easy to read book, and the topics are even easier to follow. The case against standardized testing harvard political. This is one of a series of blog posts from rise the largescale education systems research programme supported by the uks department for international development dfid and australias department of. The teachers and students are held accountable for teaching and learning, respectively.
Standardized testing in schools holly dolezalek, robyn. Ebook online the case against standardized testing. The case against standardized testing brighthub education. Politicians and businesspeople, determined to get tough with students and teachers, have increased the pressure to. Standardized tests are believed to be one of the most powerful levers that elected officials. Richard p phelps kill the messenger is perhaps the most thorough and authoritative work in defense of educational testing ever written.
Raising the scores, ruining the schools alfie kohn has been described as perhaps the countrys most outspoken critic of educations fixation on grades and test scores. Standardized testing in schools by holly dolezalek. The pros and cons of standardized testing whitby school. A former teacher, kohn now works with educators across the country and speaks regularly at national conferences. Standardized testing unmasking a threat to democracy. Supreme court brief shows test scores do not equal merit. Standardized testing has swelled and mutated, like a creature in one of those old horror movies, to the point that it now threatens to swallow our schools whole. Her case against standardized testing is made so persuasively that it is hard to imagine a reader not convicting high stakes tests as the main culprit of what ails k12 education.
Raising the scores, ruining the schools 00 edition 9780325003252 by alfie kohn for up to 90% off at. The results of this case study analysis have lead to recommendations regarding curriculum and its correlation to these specific standardized tests. Enter your mobile number or email address below and well send you a link to download the free kindle app. Most reform efforts of the past couple of decades have attempted to raise academic standards and, often, testing is considered an essential component of the effort, necessary to prompt attainment of and gauge the extent to which standards are followed or attained. What is the arguments for against standardized testing 927 words 4 pages. Case study high stakes testing page 1 of 2 high stakes testing since the enactment of the no child left behind act of 2001 nclb, some parents, teachers, and administrators have taken their own stand against something that they believe is harmful for public education and american children.
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